It is an organization kept afloat solely through the work of volunteers, and until recently it didn’t even have its own vehicle to retrieve the hundreds of dogs it has saved from certain death.

But Greyhound Connection, the only North County rescue organization of its kind, is hoping that a recent $27,000 grant from the Petco Foundation will enable it to expand its reach.

The gift allowed the Oceanside-based group to buy and equip a new Ford Transit Connect, a commercial cargo van. The purchase will spare Greyhound Connection volunteers from using their own vehicles to drive thousands of miles annually in a quest to rescue a breed often sent to slaughter once they are no longer competitive on the racetrack.

The group’s president, Wally Lacey, estimates that she alone drove some 4,400 miles in her car last year to pick up greyhounds for adoption.

“It is our commitment to make solid, lifelong matches between greyhounds and their new families, and we invest the time to make this happen,” Lacey said. The grant will enable volunteers to “now perform our tasks more efficiently and effectively.”

Faced with growing opposition, greyhound racing has been in decline for decades. There are now 22 tracks in seven states, less than half the number just a decade ago, according to Grey2K USA, an organization devoted to ending greyhound racing in America.

But noncompetitive greyhounds still are routinely put down if they are not rescued. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 19,000 greyhounds were killed in 2000, including 7,600 greyhound puppies and 11,400 racetrack “retirees” who were not rescued.

Rescue groups say 15,000 greyhounds are put down every year.

“They’re ‘throwaway’ dogs,” said Denaire Walker, who co-founded Greyhound Connection in 2000. “Thousands of them are being destroyed every year. They will race them until they no longer win; usually by the age of 5 they are pretty beaten up.”

Walker said a group of volunteers from other rescue organizations formed Greyhound Connection because “we saw a need to get another greyhound group involved.”

The strictly volunteer organization doesn’t run a kennel — volunteers keep and care for rescued dogs in their homes until they are adopted.

Greyhound Connection says it’s an easier transition for dogs when they are moved from a foster home to a permanent home than when they are moved from a kennel to a home.

The group gets most of its greyhounds from Hemopet, an Orange County-based canine blood bank and rescue/adoption program that obtains its dogs primarily from racetracks when they lose a step.

Greyhound Connection got the money for the van after Lacey found herself at a Petco Foundation meeting with other rescue groups. Upon learning about available grants, the organization opted to submit an application.

A month later, in October, Greyhound Connection got word that the grant was approved. The Petco Foundation sent a $27,000 check in December, and within a month, the van was in service. The pet store’s nonprofit arm says it distributes about $15 million annually.

Besides being used to retrieve rescued dogs, the Greyhound Connection van also will take the canines to events such as educational presentations at schools and street fairs.

So of all the breeds of all the dogs in all the world, why focus on greyhounds?

They’re also somewhat easy to care for. The second-fastest land animals on Earth — slower only than the cheetah — greyhounds can sleep up to 18 or 20 hours a day and have earned the nickname of “45-mph couch potatoes.” They also can be great with kids, according to rescue organizations.

Prospective owners must, however, have enclosed yards, as greyhounds can jet away if unleashed. And the dogs need to be indoor dogs because they have only a thin coat of hair and not much body fat.

In short, they’re homebodies.

“Once you’ve had a greyhound, you find you can’t live without one because of their nature,” Lacey said.